


The Marks That Bind Us

by Myoneloveismusic



Series: JayTim Week 2016 [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU
Genre: College-Age AU, Jason's a lit nerd, JayTimWeek, M/M, NO CAPES, Tattoos, Tim's a nerd, book tattoos, tattoo prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-01
Updated: 2016-08-01
Packaged: 2018-07-28 14:24:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7644463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myoneloveismusic/pseuds/Myoneloveismusic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jason absolutely loves books and the phrases that make an impact on him are marked down permanently for all to see. He rarely gives modern works a chance because they never seem to offer him anything satisfying. That is, until Roy convinces him to read something new. Jason finds himself connecting with an author that he knows nothing about who shares his ideas of what it means to be human and survive in a world that can be cold and cruel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Marks That Bind Us

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt Number 1 for JaytimWeek: Tattoo!
> 
> This is probably one of my favorite creations that you're going to read over the coming week and I hope that you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it and putting it together. it was so much fun and I'm excited that I finally get to share it with you after all of these weeks!!!
> 
> <3 MOLIM

                “I’m telling you Jay, you should really read this book. I think you’d really like it,” Roy said, all but shoving the novel in his face in the middle of the coffee shop.

                Jason made a face. “I don’t know, Roy. You know how I feel about some modern works.”

                He set the book in the center of the table and leaned back in his seat. “I know, I know. But I reeeeallly think that you’ll like this one.” Roy tapped the paperback twice and nudged it closer to his friend.

                Jason sighed. “Fine. But if I’m not decently satisfied by chapter three then you’re getting the book back and dropping this.”

                Roy grinned and put his hands behind his head. “Oh don’t worry, you will be.”

                Jason grabbed the book and his half-finished coffee and pushed his chair back. “Whatever,” he said, standing and walking out. He took a sip of his coffee and looked down at the cover again. It wasn’t anything impressive, just some nature scene or whatever that every hipster author insisted on decorating their covers with. Usually what adorned the pages inside was a load of bullshit that made Jason want to vomit and question all that was good and holy on how it ever managed to get published.

                “ _Soul Cipher,_ huh? Mike D. Art, let’s see what you’re made of and if you’re worthy of the Todd seal of approval.” He drained the rest of his coffee and threw the empty cup in a nearby trash bin. Jason was thankful that there was a local coffee shop so close to campus since the university refused to open its own. It was located right on the edge of campus next to where the dorms had been built. Jason really commends the owners for being so business savvy and snatching up the available space. He knew they must make a ton of money if his own spending habits are anything to go by, and he’s not even that dependent on the stuff.

                Jason pushed open the door to his dorm building and walked through the foyer. It was pretty empty for a Saturday morning, but there was still a week left before classes started for the fall semester and many students hadn’t moved back yet. He scanned his ID at the door leading to his wing and pushed through when the lock released. Jason whistled as he walked down the hallway to his room and unlocked the door with his keys. He was pretty proud that his room was kept relatively clean for being in a boys’ dorm and constantly having people in and out of his room, but he also still had the time to clean and wasn’t exhausted beyond belief to the point where he would just throw things wherever since the semester hadn’t even started yet.

                Jason toed off his boots next to the closet and walked over to his bed, falling on top of the plush comforter that he’d been using for the past few years. He examined the cover of the paperback once again before steeling himself for some mediocre writing. He flipped through the first few pages, bypassing the interior title page and the list of other works. He paused at the dedication page and chuckled.

 

_This book is dedicated to coffee because everyone sucks and it’s the only reason you’re even able to hold this book in your hands._

                Even if this guy’s writing does suck, Jason could easily admit he had a sense of humor if the dedication was anything to go by. He flipped past the table of contents and the drawings of the maps that lay out the world described within the pages. Jason briefly noted that the author chose not to use chapter titles and settled in on top of his bed. He shoved his pillow behind his head and began to read.

 

~

                Jason was going to _kill_ Roy. He was definitely going to murder him for this. He stared petulantly at the clock, tears streaming down his face and really wishing that he had a pizza and a pint of ice cream. He hadn’t eaten in hours and been on the emotional roller coaster of a lifetime, unable to put down _Soul Cipher_ for a minute, and only able to force himself to do so if he needed to go to the bathroom.

                It hadn’t even taken Jay until chapter three to be hooked. He was pretty sure he was a goner before he’d even reached page three. He’d immediately connected with the main character, Darron, and the personal struggles that he was experiencing even when faced with overwhelming odds in a situation where so many people depended on him. Jason’s heart felt like it was breaking when the character had to push aside his own needs for people that shamelessly demanded his attention.

                He brought his hand up to rub at the tears that were still falling from his eyes. When he pulled his arm away his eyes immediately roved over the ink that lined his arm. He’d gotten his last tattoo a little over a year ago, successfully finishing his first sleeve. Many people didn’t exactly find his sleeve impressive and were skeptical once they got a closer look at it and learned that his arm was covered in book quotes from the stories that held special meaning for him and were his favorites to read. Jason’s eye caught one of the quotes from _Pride and Prejudice._ He smiled and ran his fingers over one of his first tattoos.

 

_Our scars make us know that our past was for real._

                Jason dropped his hand and rolled out of bed. He looked at the clock and saw that it was after midnight. Most places would be closed, but he did know of a spectacular pizza place nearby that would still be open. He slipped his feet into his boots and pulled open the door to his closet to grab his leather jacket. Jason grabbed his keys and wallet from the dresser and walked out. The halls were quiet and he didn’t run into anyone there or in the lobby of the residence hall.

                Jason exited the building and made a left, breathing in the pleasantly warm night air. He walked past a few stores that were dark and shut up for the night before stopping in front of a brightly lit pizza parlor. Jason grinned and pushed open the door, making the bell chime and announce his presence. The cashier looked up from where he was flipping through a magazine as Jason walked over.

                “What can I get ya?” he asked happily. Far too happily, in Jason’s opinion, for it being almost one in the morning.

                “Large cheese pizza and a box of cinnabread.”

                The cashier nodded along. “That’ll be $16.79.”

                Jason handed the man $20 and waited patiently for his change as he heard the cook begin moving around at the notification of an order. Jason took his change and moved to look at the pictures that dotted the wall while the cashier resumed his reading. The owners were pretty friendly people and often hosted events that offered live music, sports watch parties, or even movie nights. They weren’t shy about walking around with a camera and making friends with everybody either. Jason spotted the one of him and Roy a few months back. They’d gone to check out some of the local music and ended up having a long discussion with Paul and Diane since they’d never seen the two of them at one of their events before.

                “Cheese pizza and cinnabread ready to go!” Jason turned at the cheerful sound of the cashier and retrieved his food.

                “Thanks!” he responded, raising a hand in parting as he walked out the door.

                Jason enjoyed the warmth of the pizza box in his hands as he walked back towards the dorm. He started whistling a random tune as he scanned himself into his building. The halls were still empty and the dorm itself was still quiet. If anyone was up they were probably out at the bars. Jason unlocked his room and walked in, immediately kicking his shoes off as the door closed behind him. He moved over to his desk and set the boxes down so he could take off his jacket and hang it back in his closet.

                Jason picked up his pizza and set it down on the floor by his bed. He brought over a chair and his laptop and set the computer on the chair in front of where he was going to be sitting. Jason dropped to the floor and stretched out his legs before opening his computer and pulling up Netflix. He scrolled through the shows he was watching, but wasn’t feeling any of those at the moment. He finally settled on some random anime that he was pretty sure Roy had recommended at some point and put that on, not really caring what it was about.

                Jason pulled out a slice of pizza and watched the opening sequence, actually finding the song quite catchy. His mind wandered and he thought back to _Soul Cipher._ Jason hadn’t felt such a strong attraction to a work of literature in so long. Especially with one of the phrases the author had used. It had practically resonated within Jason’s, heh, soul.

 

_No matter how much he was ripped apart by life, death, pain, or people, his soul was the one thing that kept him from teetering over the brink of madness, for love was eternally stronger than even the most deep-rooted of all hatreds._

                Some people would think the phrase would be a little long for a tattoo, but considering Jason’s left arm was already filled with words, he didn’t mind the length much. Jason knew that this was the tattoo that he wanted to use to start his new sleeve. He decided that he was going to go down to his tattoo parlor tomorrow and see about getting the words etched into his skin permanently. After all, it already felt as though they were a part of him in more ways than one.

                Jason jolted when he realized that the credits for the episode he’d started were already playing. He had no idea what had happened during the episode since he was so distracted with thoughts of the new tattoo he was going to get. Jason looked down at the pizza box next to him and realized that he’d eaten most of it. He closed his laptop and shut the pizza box, stuffing that and the untouched cinnabread in his mini-fridge.

                Jason pulled off his jeans, leaving himself in his boxers and t-shirt and walked into the bathroom. He brushed his teeth, which was a little more difficult while trying to stifle the yawns that were threatening to pour out, but Jason got through it. He ran a hand through his hair and walked back towards his bed, shutting off the overhead light as he went. He grabbed his phone from the bedside table and sprawled out in bed, unintentionally landing on the paperback he’d left there earlier. He reached under his back and pulled out the book, setting it on his stomach as he fiddled with his phone. Jason set an alarm for the next day to make sure he didn’t sleep too late and miss his chance to make it down to the tattoo parlor. Finally, he set his phone and the book on his bedside table, letting himself roll over and fall asleep.

 

~

 

                Jason jerked awake at the sound of a buzzer going off, nearly smacking his head against the wall in his haste. He reached over and grabbed his phone, quickly turning off the horrible noise. He leaned back in bed and rubbed his eyes, wishing that he could still be sleeping, but he had things to do. Jason groaned, but pulled himself out of bed anyway. He pulled off his shirt and threw it in the hamper to join his jeans from yesterday and walked into the bathroom for a shower.

                Jason turned on the water and nearly cheered when he learned that there was still warm water left for him to take a shower. He stripped out of his boxers and stepped under the hot spray, knowing he needed to clean his skin really well if he was able to get the tattoo today. Jason took his time in the shower and was only driven out when the water started going cold. He grabbed a towel and dried himself as best he could before wrapping it around his waist.

                Jason pulled a pair of boxer briefs from his drawer and slipped those on underneath the towel. Removing the towel from his waist, Jason ran the fabric over his hair to soak up any loose water. He left it to drape over his shoulders as he grabbed a clean pair of jeans and a dark blue shirt. Jason pulled on the jeans, but paused to hang the towel to dry before pulling the shirt over his head. He plodded out of the bathroom and grabbed a pair of socks and his black converse.

                He moved the laptop back to his desk and pulled the chair back over from where he’d left it in the middle of the floor the night before. He sat down and pulled on his socks and shoes before grabbing his wallet and keys and heading out the door.

                The streets were pretty busy for it being the middle of the week, but Jason just attributed it to being due to the fact that more students were probably moving back to campus. He allowed his mind to wander as he traced his usual path to the tattoo parlor. His thoughts quickly turned to the phrase he was aiming to get today. Jason didn’t know why, but warmth bloomed in his chest at the words as he went over it in his mind. He really couldn’t help the strong connection that he felt towards Mike Art’s writing. He’d have to stop by a bookstore later and pick up his own copy.

                Upon reaching his tattoo shop, Jason pushed the door open, immediately becoming surrounded by the sweet melody of something playing over the speakers and the bright fluorescent lights that lit up the place. Despite trying to appear hardcore and grungy, the place was practically hospital room sterile as Chez’s standards dictated.

                “Jason! Haven’t seen you in forever man.” Chez bounded up to Jason, grinning widely. The man was much shorter than Jason’s 6ft height, standing at 5’ 5’’. His presence was more than enough to make up for his smaller stature and the tattoos that covered both of his arms usually detracted people from making comments about him and his gender.

                “I know!” he said, chuckling and pulling Chez in for a hug. “I haven’t really had any tattoo inspiration until recently.”

                Chez shoved at his arm. “That doesn’t mean you can’t stop by and visit! Now what can I do for you?” he asked, leading Jason over to the chair.

                “I’ve finally got something to start a new sleeve,” he said, settling down into the worn leather chair.

                “A new quote?” he asked, obviously excited. “I never thought you’d find one and you’d be stuck with one sleeve forever.”

                Jason laughed, always pleased when he was on the end of Chez’s excitement. “Yeah,” he said, reaching over to grab the pad of paper the other man used for sketching out designs. He quickly wrote out the quote, double-checking it twice before nodding in approval and handing the pad to Chez.

                Chez nodded as he read over what Jason had wrote. “It definitely suits you and I think it’s the perfect start to a new sleeve.” He pulled on a paper of rubber gloves. “Want the usual font and source info?”

                “Definitely.” Jason took the pad of paper back and added the title of the book as well as the author.

                Chez pulled out a pink-colored sharpie. “Where do you want it?”

                Jason lifted his right arm. “I was thinking on the side of my forearm and having the text written horizontally so that when I rest my arm on a table or something, I’d still be able to read it.”

                Chez nodded and pulled Jason’s arm towards him, getting to work. Jason leaned his head back and lost himself to the tickling sensation of the sharpie moving over his skin. He closed his eyes when Chez pulled out the tattoo gun and loaded it with black ink. Chez started humming along to the song playing over the speakers as he carefully moved the tattoo gun over the words he’d written moments ago.

                “There we go, all done!” Chez announced happily and Jason opened his eyes to look over his new ink.

                He grinned and nodded approvingly. “Thanks, man. It looks great like always.”

                Chez waved him off and went through the process of disposing his gloves and the used needle and ink. He stood from his chair and made his way over to the cash register. Jason got up and followed him.

                “Paying with cash or credit?”

                “Credit.”

                Chez nodded and brought up the total. “That’ll be $95.”

                Jason swiped his card through the reader and signed the screen when prompted. He replaced the card in his wallet and waited for the receipt from Chez. Once given the slip of paper, Jason stuffed that, along with his wallet, back into his jeans’ pocket.

                “I won’t bother going over all the care and treatment shit since you pretty much know that by heart by now, but feel free to stop in anytime.”

                Jason nodded. “Thanks, Chez! Hopefully I’ll see you soon.”

                Chez waved him out the door. “Don’t be a stranger!”

                Jason chuckled as he walked out the door and turned back towards campus. It was after lunchtime and he hadn’t had anything to eat yet today since he wanted to get his tattoo. He pulled out his phone and sent a message to Roy asking if he wanted to meet up at the dining hall and got a confirmation a few moments later.

                Jason made it back to campus quickly and spotted Roy easily when he pushed through the doors and into the eatery on campus after swiping himself in. Jason grabbed a burger with fries and a soda before meeting up with Roy at the table he’d chosen.

                “Jason Todd is that a new tattoo?!” the ginger exclaimed before he could even sit down.

                Jason just grinned and held out his arm for his friend to inspect. He wasn’t, however, expecting the smack to the chest that he got after his friend got an eyeful of exactly what he’d gotten inked.

                “I knew you’d like that book! I can’t believe you went and got something tattooed from it. Dude, you only get, like, those super important phrases put on your arms. I can’t believe you got something from a modern work on your arm! This is huge, dude!”

                Jason just rolled his eyes at his friend’s excitement and picked up a French fry. “Yeah, yeah. This phrase is still one of those ‘super important’ ones. It just happens to be from something written this century.”

                Roy just grinned at him, but Jason ignored it in favor of his burger. He chewed slowly, enjoying the taste of the food after not having eaten anything all morning. Roy just continued to grin at him, even when he was chewing his own food.

                “Are you doing anything this afternoon?” Roy asked as they were finishing up lunch.

                Jason shrugged. “I was thinking about maybe going to the library or bookstore to find something new to read.”

                Roy made a face, never quite able to understand his love of reading. “I’ll pass on that, but if you want to do something other than read tonight, I’ve got an extra controller if you want to game.”

                Jason nodded and pushed back the chair he’d been sitting in. “I’ll see how I feel later and let you know.” Jason walked to the other end of the dining hall to throw out his trash and place his dishes on the conveyor belt that would take them back to the kitchen. He walked out of the dining hall and headed back to his dorm.

Once he got back to his room, Jason picked up the copy of _Soul Cipher_ that was sitting on his desk and flipped open to the page that listed the author’s other works. There weren’t very many, but Jason suspected that was because the author was new and just hadn’t had time to produce a plethora of books yet. He grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and jotted down the list of titles to look for, leaving the paperback on his desk to return to Roy later. If he was stopping by a bookstore, he was going to pick up his own copy which was definitely going to be a hardback if he could help it.

 

~

 

                Jason had been in the bookstore for hours and he was just now leaving, mainly due to the fact that his stomach was grumbling its complaints. He left with an armful of books that he would most definitely be spending the next few days reading over. Jason learned that all Mike Art’s books came in both paperback and hardcover versions. He immediately found a copy of _Soul Cipher_ as that seemed to be the newest and most popular and he was lucky enough to find all but one of his four others.

                Jason walked back to his dorm, happily whistling and intent on reading and eating the rest of the pizza that he had in his fridge, along with the cinnabread. He was going to need it if the rest of the books trampled all over his emotions as the first one did. It was going to be a busy few days before classes, but Jason honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. It wasn’t that big of a change from what he usually did during the school year, being the English major that he was.

                This semester Jason was actually enrolled in a creative writing class and these books were getting him pretty excited for it. He was sure that he probably wouldn’t be turning anything of this caliber in, but it was nice to think that maybe his words could have some sort of impact on others as words had had on him over the years. It didn’t have to be right away, but it was a nice ambition to strive for and hopefully accomplish eventually.

                Jason pushed into his dorm room and shuffled over to his fridge, pulling out the boxes inside. He sat down on the floor and opened the pizza box, pulling out a slice. With his non-greasy hand, Jason pulled one of the books from the plastic bag he’d carried them in. He flipped past the first few pages, stopping at the dedication, nearly spitting out the pizza he was chewing.

 

_To everyone who thought I was too gay to actually get published, fuck you._

                Jason grinned around the food in his mouth. This guy was turning out to be his new favorite author. He flipped to the first chapter and settled himself in to read.

 

~

 

The days leading up to the start of classes were a whirlwind of reading and effectively ignoring Roy. Jason had to be physically torn away from the books that he’d bought to go eat, most of the time by his best friend storming into his room and demanding why he’d been ignoring his texts. He only got up to go to the bathroom out of strict necessity, also taking the time to care for his new tattoo, and Jason scoffed at the idea of sleeping. It wasn’t unless he was nodding off and ended up rereading the same passages multiple times or he physically passed out that he would finally consent defeat and crawl into bed.

At one point Jason even pulled out a pen and notepad to mark down quotes that were incredibly powerful for him. The list was quickly becoming ideas for possible new tattoos and Jason knew the amount of quotes he was marking down would be enough to finish off the sleeve that he’d just started the other day. Each time he finished one of the books, he would add it to his already overflowing bookshelf in the corner of the room.

Currently, Jason was lying on his floor with his laptop in front of him, sulking. He was moving through pages of online stores desperately searching for the one book that was missing from his new Mike Art collection. It wasn’t available in any store within a 60 mile radius and Jason wanted it desperately. During his search, Jason stumbled upon the author’s website, effectively going through every page and post to see what the author had to say. Unfortunately, there were no photos of him on the website, but he did have links to his social media, as well as where Jason could buy the one book he was missing.

Jason was staring at his shopping cart that had the single book in it, preparing himself to wait weeks before he would be able to read it. He sighed heavily and finally managed to click the button and place his order. He was taken to a confirmation page that only served to worsen his mood with its cheeriness. Jason rolled over and stared up the ceiling, thinking of the classes that would be starting tomorrow. He supposed that it was a good thing he at least had school to distract him from the wait that his purchase would bring.

Jason was excited to be starting off the week with creative writing. Now more than ever, he was pumped to get into the class and work on improving his writing. He supposed he had Mike Art to thank for that one. He struggled to his feet and figured he should probably shower with classes starting the next day and the fact that he hadn’t done so in a few days.

Jason stripped out of his sweatpants and shirt, throwing them in the hamper with his other dirty clothes. He grabbed a clean pair of boxers and walked into the bathroom to turn on the shower. He pulled off his briefs and kicked them across the floor to the doorway before hanging his boxers on a nearby hook and stepping under the warm spray coming from the showerhead. The water streaming down his back was relaxing and refreshing. He slicked back his hair before working some shampoo into a lather and scrubbing it through his hair.

Jason ran his fingers through his shaggy, dark locks several times in order to dispel the last of the suds. He then soaped up a washcloth and began rubbing that in soothing circles across his skin, dispelling the grime that had built up over the past few days. Jason stood under the spray and allowed the water to cascade down his skin and flush the soap down the drain. He shut off the water and grabbed his towel, drying himself off. He pulled on his boxers and walked over to the sink to brush his teeth.

After finishing up in the bathroom, Jason shut off the light and crawled into bed. He picked up his phone from where it’d been placed on the bedside table. Jason set his alarm for the next day and resigned himself to the start of classes. He replaced the phone in its spot before rolling over and going to sleep.

 

~

 

                Jason awoke groggily to the sound of his alarm blaring. He quickly shut off the incessant noise and rubbed at his eyes. He noticed that he had a text from Roy asking if he wanted to get breakfast and he replied with an affirmative. Jason pulled himself from bed and stretched, allowing several spots in his back to pop. He walked over to his dresser and pulled out his jeans and a tight-fitting black shirt. He didn’t know if there would be anyone to impress in his classes, but he wasn’t about to risk looking like a slob on day one.

                Jason pulled on his jeans and slipped the shirt over his head before grabbing a pair of socks and slipping those on before his boots. He grabbed his backpack, throwing a notebook and a pen inside. After a moment of contemplation, he added his laptop to the bag as well as Roy’s copy of _Soul Cipher_ before he slung his backpack over his shoulder. Jason walked out of his room and exited through the hallway and into the lobby where he ran into Roy.

                “Morning Jay!” Roy said, far too happily.

                Jason shielded his eyes. “Your smile is far too bright for this hour of the day,” he mumbled.

                Roy just laughed and slung an arm around Jason’s shoulders. The two of them walked to the dining hall together. The two friends scanned themselves in and grabbed their various breakfasts before finding an empty table. Jason had settled on eggs, bacon, and potatoes, while Roy chose to have a stack of pancakes. Jason took a bite of his food before remembering that he had Roy’s copy of _Soul Cipher_ in his backpack. He pulled the paperback from his bag and slid it across the table to his friends.

                “Here’s this back,” he said taking another bite of eggs.

                “Oh, yeah. Thanks,” Roy replied around a mouthful of pancake. He picked up his book and threw it into his bag, making Jason wince. “I’m glad you’re finally done with reading all of those books. Maybe now we can have some good old gaming nights!”

                “Don’t get too excited. Classes start today which means I’ll have even more books to read.”

                Roy groaned and slumped over the table. “Buuuuut Jaaaaaaaay!!!!” he whined.

                Jason laughed. “You’ll have your own work too.”

                “Don’t remind me,” he grumbled.

                “Come on, we should get going.” Jason slid his arms through the straps of his backpack and picked up his tray, standing. Roy followed reluctantly as the two of them deposited their trays in the return and left the dining hall. They parted after exiting the doors, Jason headed towards the liberal arts building for his creative writing class, and Roy headed towards the science building for his robotics class.

                Jason covered the distance easily, bypassing all of the confused first year students. He headed up to the second floor where his class was located and walked down to room 213. There were a few students seated already, but the class was still pretty empty. Jason picked a seat in the second row and slightly to the right of where the professor would stand at the front of the room. He propped his chin in his left hand and stared at the wall while other students filed in.

                “Is that a quote from _Soul Cipher_?” a voice spoke up from next to him.

                Jason whipped his head to the side, startled to find a guy with long black hair and blue eyes illuminated by black-framed glasses standing next to him and looking down at his forearm. “Uh, yeah. Yeah it is.” Jason let his eyes wander over his new companion as he took the seat next to him. He was wearing a _Lord of the Rings_ shirt, black skinny jeans, and black converse.

                “I’m Tim, by the way,” he said, smiling softly.

                “Jason…” he murmured, unable to tear his eyes away from the beautiful human being before him. He was about to say something else, or attempt to say something else, when the professor walked in and began class.

Jason forced himself to tear his eyes away from Tim and pay attention to what the professor was saying. He began by passing out a syllabus to everyone and going over the course schedule and requirements, as well as what types of projects would be covered over the course of the semester. The work load didn’t seem too bad to Jason. He thought it would be interesting to work with a different style of writing each week as they worked towards the culminating project. There were even a few partner projects and Jason briefly wondered if he’d be able to pair up with Tim.

                “Now, I’d like everyone to go around and introduce themselves. Please state your name and major,” the professor announced.

                Everyone groaned, but obediently began moving around the classroom. Hopefully once this was finished, they’d be able to leave. Jason was almost certain that they’d leave with one assignment already if the professor was anything to go by. Jason let the drone of people introducing themselves wash over him as he waited his turn.

                “Jason Todd, English major,” he said, succinctly. The professor nodded and looked towards the next student.

                “I’m Tim Drake and I’m a Business major.” Jason whipped his head around to look at the man next to him for the second time that day. Tim noticed him looking and smiled sheepishly. He was the only non-English, or writing concentration major in the class.

                “Thank you all for coming today. I’ll give you your first assignment on Wednesday after the first lesson. Class dismissed.”

                Jason packed up his things and stood, turning towards Tim. “So, business, huh?”

                Tim slung his backpack over his shoulder and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah. I had space in my schedule this semester and thought it would be nice to branch out and take a class that could be both fun and useful.”

                Jason nodded and the two of them walked out of the class together. He held up his forearm to display the tattoo there. “So, you like _Soul Cipher_?”

                Tim’s lips quirked up in a smile. “Something like that. What made you want to get a tattoo from that book?”

                “Well,” Jason began looking down at his left arm. “I like to get quotes that really strike a chord with me tattooed on my arm so that I can always have them with me. I hadn’t gotten a new tattoo in a while and once I read that phrase I just knew I needed it permanently inked into my skin.”

                Tim looked over the ink covering his other arm. “But these are all from classics. You have some of the greatest authors on here! How could Mike D. Art compare to them?”

                Jason laughed. “That’s what I thought, too! My friend Roy actually gave me the book and insisted that I read it. I thought it was just going to be another one of those crappy modern works that were shallow and told the same story following the ideas of white heteronormativity. But then I started reading it and the author just blew my mind. There was so much diversity and acceptance, but Darron still had to fight his own personal battles. He had to push aside his own needs and desires at times in order to do what everyone else needed of him.

                “And yet,” Jason said looking down at his arm. “He wasn’t afraid to be who he was. He wasn’t afraid to stand up for what he believed in. He did things that many people wouldn’t approve of, but he remembered who he was and what he cared about above all. He didn’t forget to love and I think that’s important because even though he did some pretty messed up things, those things and his actions didn’t make him a monster because he didn’t let it consume him.”

                Jason hadn’t realized the two of them had stopped walking in the middle of the sidewalk. He looked over and saw Tim staring at him in complete shock, mouth hanging open and eyes wide. Jason blushed and began stammering out an explanation to cover up the fact that he probably sounded really stupid.

                “You took that much meaning away from that book?” Tim asked, completely awed.

                Jason rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “Yeah, it’s probably a bit much, but I just felt a strong connection to the character. You probably think it’s stupid.”

                Tim just shook his head in disbelief. “That is anything but stupid. It’s-it’s brilliant!” Tim started gesticulating wildly. “I can’t believe you found so much meaning and took so much from one character. I had no idea that I-uh, it-was even possible to view a character as having such presence and symbolism.”

                “Would you like to get lunch?” Jason blurted out. Tim stared up at him. “Uh-I mean-I-uh-“

                Tim grinned. “Yes!”

                The two walked together to the dining hall and found a table tucked away in one of the back corners so they could talk.

                “So have you read any of his other books?” Tim asked around bites of his vegetable stir-fry.

                “Yeah I have. After I finished _Soul Cipher_ , I went out and bought most of his other books and read them over the past few days. I couldn’t find _Tattered Triumph_ anywhere though and had to order that one online.”

                Tim sighed and rested his cheek against his palm. “Not many people liked _Tattered Triumph._ That’s probably why it’s so hard to find.”

                Jason made a face. “That’s sad. The summary made it sound really interesting. Why didn’t people like it?”

                “They thought it dealt with too many sensitive issues, like mental disorders, depression, and suicidal thoughts.”

                Jason made a face. “And the other books don’t?”

                Tim chuckled. “I know, right? I guess with the other books they can brush it off easily and not admit that the main characters and heroes have problems they have to deal with and aren’t perfect.”

                Jason shook his head. “The nerve of some people. Well I’ll just have to decide for myself when my copy arrives in the mail in a few weeks.”

                “You know what?” Jason looked up at him, mouth full of pizza. “You should send an email or a letter to the author. I mean, you already have so many great opinions about the characters and meaning behind the story. I think he’d love to hear from you.”

                Jason sat back and wrinkled his nose. “I don’t know. Is it normal for a college student to send fanmail to an author?”

                “I don’t see why it wouldn’t be. Especially since you’re an English major. I think he’d really appreciate to hear your opinions and know that his work is being treated as such serious literature.”

                Jason cocked his head to the side in thought. “I’ll think about it.” He checked his phone. “Crap, I have to get to class.” Jason jumped up from his seat and grabbed his tray. He was about to move away when he looked back at his new friend. “Hey…would you mind exchanging numbers?”

                Tim smiled and pulled out his phone, handing it to Jason. “Sure, I’d love to.”

                Jason grinned and quickly input his contact info one handed. He handed the phone back to Tim and hurried off to make it to his afternoon literature class on time. He felt like he wouldn’t be able to stop smiling the rest of the day.

 

~

 

                “Jason.”

                “Jay.”

                “JASON!”

                “What the hell, Roy?!” Jason asked, nearly throwing his phone across the dining hall.

                Roy rolled his eyes. “I think I should be asking you that. You’re the one who hasn’t sopped texting someone since last night. Just who is it anyway?”

                Jason fidgeted nervously. “Just someone that I met in my creative writing class. We sort of hit things off and exchanged numbers yesterday.”

                “Have you asked him out yet?” Roy asked, returning to his food.

                Jason stared at his friend. “Who says it’s a boy and who says I like him?”

                Roy looked at him, completely unimpressed. “You only get like this when it’s about not only a boy, but a boy you like.”

                He huffed. “Fine. His name’s Tim and he’s just really cool okay? Even though he’s a business major, he really loves literature. He actually noticed my tattoos and that’s how we started talking.”

                Roy nodded. “I guess he would have to be a nerd to keep up with you and your book obsession.”

                Jason buried his face in his hands. “What am I going to do?”

                “Ask him out.”

                “I can’t just ask him out. What if he isn’t interested in me that way?”

                Roy sighed, not ready to deal with a lovesick Jason. “When do you see him next?”

                “Tomorrow.”

                “Then wait and see what happens tomorrow and if you think there’s something there, ask him out. Or keep texting him like a teenager who doesn’t have the balls to take their crush out on a date.”

                “Fine.” Jason went back to eating, contemplating everything that Roy had said. He smiled when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

 

~

 

Jason was nervous to go to his creative writing class. He could not believe he was nervous to go to class. And the fact that it had nothing to do with class itself, but a certain person with blue eyes and black glasses who knew way too much about _Star Trek._ Jason was currently fidgeting in his seat, waiting for Tim to show up. Tim walked in seconds before the professor and offered Jason a smile when he sat down. Jason returned the smile and reluctantly faced the front of the classroom when the professor began speaking.

Jason thought it might be difficult to follow along with the professor now that he’d developed a newfound attraction to Tim, but he was actually enraptured by the lesson. He had no idea how amazing writing fiction could actually be. He knew how many hidden secrets could lie within works and had been party to revealing them many times over the years, but this was a whole different ballgame.

Creative writing wasn’t something that you could just sit down and do, well that’s actually how it was done in the literal sense, but so much planning and care can be needed as well. Especially with longer works. Jason had no idea how much a person poured their heart into what they were writing and strived to give meaning to words. Strived to write so other people found meaning in the words. Jason was seeing for the first time that it took a special person to sit down and create some of the best works that are produced over the years.

“Now,” the professor said, bringing the class to a close. “For your first writing assignment, I want each of you to bring in a short one thousand word story. The theme that I’d like you to use is change. Interpret that however you like. Keep it as close to one thousand words as possible and the cap is twelve hundred words. Class dismissed.”

Jason packed his things up fairly quickly and stood from his seat, waiting for Tim to do the same. They walked out of the classroom together and immediately headed towards the building exit, intent on going to the dining hall for food.

“You seemed to be enjoying yourself in class,” Tim commented.

Jason grinned. “I was, yeah. I honestly had no idea how complex fiction writing could be. Although, I guess that makes the books I’m able to read that much more precious because of how much care and work goes into them. We’re all lucky to get a peek into an author’s brain through their work. It really says a lot about a person and what they can come to value. I just hope that I can do the class justice with the assignments I turn in.”

Tim laughed. “I think you’ll probably get one of the best grades in the class. You’re already really passionate about literature and have a great understanding of symbolism and reading between the lines. I think those things will be assets to you when you sit down to write.”

Jason mulled over Tim’s statement. “Could be. But that doesn’t mean I’m not just a shitty writer.” He chuckled. “What about you? How do you think you’ll do? What do you think you’ll do for the first assignment?”

“I think I’ll get through the class. It’ll be nice to get a different opinion on my writing. I’m not sure what I’ll do for the first assignment yet. I have to make sure it’s nothing too complex so I don’t shoot way over the word cap. Short assignments kill me because I feel like I can’t describe anything. Details are important and I don’t like being without them.”

“Maybe that’s the point though,” Jason contemplated.

Tim cocked his head to the side, looking at Jason. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, maybe writers frequently worry too much about the details of the work and become so bogged down with them to the point that their characters and content become mediocre. Maybe this is our professor establishing the importance of content and characterization early so that when it does come down to adding the details those add to the work instead of taking away from it.”

“That’s it, I’m done,” Tim threw up his hands and started walking away from Jason.

“Wait! Tim! What did I do?” Jason started chasing after Tim.

“You! You-I just-gahhhh! How do you have such an incredible understanding of writing? Like, I can’t even begin to compare to you even though I’m-“ Tim cut himself off as a blush painted his cheeks.

“What? You’re what Tim?” Jason asked intrigued.

“Never mind. It’s not important. But you should seriously consider becoming a writer!”

Jason shrugged off the praise, embarrassed. “I could still be a shitty writer, Tim. I haven’t written anything yet.”

Tim just stared at him and shook his head. “Then maybe you should be an editor. Let’s just go get lunch,” he said, turning back towards the dining hall, leaving Jason to hurry after him.

 

~

 

                Jason had been sitting in front of his computer for over an hour staring at the blank document in front of him. He had absolutely no idea what he was going to write and turn in for tomorrow’s class. He was sure that Tim probably already had something written and ready to go, but here Jason was just staring at his computer and trying to come up with something that had to do with change. It couldn’t be too hard, could it? At least that’s what he thought before sitting down to start the assignment.

                It just had to do with change. That’s it. The only requirement being a theme of change and that it was prose. No big deal. It shouldn’t be a big deal. Jason huffed and scrubbed at his face. He was going to do this, damn it. First assignment of the semester and he was not going to fail by not turning something in. Jason placed his hands over the keys and started putting down words, hoping that some of it would be decent enough to keep.

 

_“I have to tell you something,” Kris mumbled, staring intently at the ground. She had to get this out without looking at Leah, her best friend of ten years._

_“What is it?” Leah’s voice sounded gentle, but Kris couldn’t bring herself to look at her friend._

_“My-my Dad got transferred. We’re moving to Ohio.” Kris could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. She tried to hold them back. She didn’t want to cry, she told herself she wasn’t going to cry. Not yet anyway. Not until she was safely in solitude and could mourn the loss of her friend. Allow her heart to break from moving away from the person she loved._

_“Kris…Kris look at me,” Leah prodded gently. Kris looked up and felt one traitorous tear slide down her cheek. “We can still keep in touch. Ohio isn’t that far away and we have cellphones and skype. I’m sure during the holidays I can convince my parents of letting me visit you or letting you come stay with us.” Leah bit her lip and took one of Kris’s hands in her own. “And I care about you a lot. So I promise I won’t let anything come between us.”_

                Jason smiled as he continued to type. He wasn’t sure what he’d been worried about when it came to this assignment, but he finally understood what artists talked about when they referred to their muse. Writing like this was definitely new. Jason was so used to the academic papers he’d been through over the past couple of years, that doing something so freely was…invigorating. He never knew it could be so exciting to create your own characters and put words in their mouths. For once, Jason could create a world and make things go exactly as they were supposed to, which could end up being either good or bad for the characters.

                Jason sat back and looked over what he’d done and grinned. 1,100 words. He didn’t think it was too bad for his first attempt and he’d be looking forward to getting some feedback. He picked up his phone and opened his text messages, sending one to Tim.

 

Jason: Finish that assignment yet?

 

                While waiting for a response, Jason hooked his computer up to the printer and printed his short story. He looked up when his phone buzzed on the desk.

 

Tim: Yup! I got that done a couple of hours ago and I’ve been working on something else.

 

Jason: Is it something for one of your business classes?

 

Tim: No, it’s not an assignment. I’ve just been writing.

 

Jason: What are you writing?

 

Tim: It’s still in the early stages so I don’t have a solid concrete idea to give you, but it’s a fantasy setting.

 

                Jason frowned at his phone. It felt like Tim was evading his question on purpose. He shrugged it off. Tim probably had his reasons or he might be self-conscious about his writing. Jason wasn’t about to push, especially when it was Tim’s and belonged to him. He didn’t have to share it if he didn’t want to.

                Jason groaned and got up from where he was seated at his desk. He resigned himself to a shower before crawling into bed to get some sleep before the next day. He hoped that he and Tim could trade stories. He’d really like to see what the other student had written and hoped Tim liked what he’d written if he decided to read it.

 

~

 

                Tim rushed into their class right before the professor entered again. He sat down quickly and leaned over to Jason. “I can’t do lunch today. I have to leave right after class to be somewhere, sorry,” he whispered.

                “No worries. You’ve got commitments, it’s chill.”

                Tim smiled gratefully and turned his attention back to the professor who was picking up where they left off on Wednesday. The focus was brought back to the practices of fiction writing and what the length of the writing assignment given might mean. Jason learned that often, fiction anthologies had word caps similar to the one they were given. It taught writers how to map out a story to ensure that all necessary parts of the plot were covered and that the reader wasn’t left feeling as though something was missing.

                Jason was absolutely enthralled. He knew how much thought and detail went into the novels that he enjoyed reading in his free time and the professor said they would talk about those later in the course and what other components are needed to keep action moving and reader’s attention. Yet Jason found he couldn’t find short stories any less impressive. They got down to the core of the action in a more deliberate way, but if it was done right, the story didn’t feel short and allowed readers to imagine what could happen after the last sentence was read.

                “Please leave your assignments here on the table. I’ll have them ready to give back on Monday and make sure to do the assigned reading listed on the syllabus.”

                Before Jason could even start to pack things up, Tim was across the room turning in his assignment before practically sprinting out the door. Jason stared at the door dumbly, surprised by how fast he actually had to be out of here. He assumed that Tim might have work or something similar. Jason shrugged it off and packed up his things, turning in his assignment on his way out the door. He walked down the stairs and went through the exit closest to the dining hall. Roy would still be busy with class so Jason resigned himself to eating lunch alone.

                Jason sat down in the spot that he and Tim would usually occupy with his tray loaded up with pizza and a soda. He sat back and picked up a slice of pizza, missing the conversation he’d usually be having with Tim. He sighed and pulled out his phone while taking another bite of pizza. Maybe there was something interesting happening on social media or the internet. Jason opened up his Twitter app and began scrolling through several tweets. He nearly spat out the pizza he was chewing.

                Jason stared down at the screen in front of him really wishing Roy was there to slap him and convince him he wasn’t dreaming. Mike Art tweeted that he was having a book signing today. A very real in-person book signing only a few blocks away from Jason’s college. He couldn’t believe this. He could go and meet his new favorite author in person!

                Jason downed his soda before slipping on his backpack. He held the tray in one hand while trying to eat the remainder of his pizza with the other. After depositing his tray in the return, Jason practically ran out of the dining hall and to his dorm. He rushed past everyone in the lobby and hallway and nearly broke down his door with how much of a hurry he was in. He ran over to his bookshelf and loaded up his backpack with all four of his most recent reads.

                Jason sprinted back out of his room and out of the building, taking a sharp right and nearly colliding with a woman carrying a large order of Starbucks. He whipped around her and hurried down the street intent on making it the several blocks to the store before the line got too long. Jason briefly contemplated calling Tim, but he was probably too busy with whatever work he had to leave so quickly for. He would just have to catch Tim up on the details later and hope that maybe the author would do another book signing soon.

                Jason finally turned the corner and onto the street where his bookstore was and groaned. The line was already out the door and hurried to snag a spot before it could get any longer. He was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet out of impatience and the need to get in the store as the line slowly trudged forward. Jason could see those who’d already gotten through the line come out with their friends. Everyone was extremely excited and Jason couldn’t wait for his chance to get up close and personal with Mike Art.

                As Jason continued to creep closer and closer to the entrance, he noticed banners hanging up, announcing a new book. Jason’s eyes roved over them, taking in every detail, and he felt his excitement grow. Mike Art had a new book in the works. It looked to be another adventure with the characters from _Soul Cipher._ Jason really wished he could get ahold of Tim and talk about this. He’d already developed such strong connections with those characters and to have them come back…Jason was sure it was going to be a great novel.

                Jason finally made it through the doors of the bookstore and he was grateful to be in air conditioning once again. He strained to look over the heads in front of him to try and get a glimpse of the author, but to no avail. The only thing he could make out was what looked like the top of a head covered with black hair. Jason sighed and resigned himself to waiting even longer to meet the man who’d touched his heart. He turned his attention to the signs announcing the new novel and examined the artwork on them. It wouldn’t be released until much later, Jason assumed it was probably in the editing stages at the moment, but the artwork looked as though it would be set in some steampunk era.

                “Please have your books out and ready to be signed. Each patron may have only one book signed,” The bodyguard announced as Jason got closer to the front of the line.

                Jason pulled off his backpack and contemplated which one he’d like to get signed. He thought _Soul Cipher_ would be the most appropriate since that was the one that started this all. It was also the one his tattoo had come from. Jason pulled the hardback from his backpack and replaced the straps over his shoulders. When he looked up again, all of the breath left him in a rush.

Sitting there, smiling at the readers and signing books was _Tim_. Tim, who was a business major just taking the creative writing class for fun. Tim, who’d innocently asked him about the tattoo on his arm and couldn’t seem to wrap his head around everything Jason was saying about the book. He insisted that Jason would be the better writer in the class even though he-but Tim never finished that sentence. Jason realized that Tim was about to admit he was a published author. The words that had resonated with him so much had come from _Tim_. And that meant more than anything.

As the woman Tim was talking to was ushered out, he turned his blue eyes on Jason. His mouth dropped open in shock before he schooled his features into a more sheepish expression. Jason walked forward to greet him. Tim rubbed the back of his neck and fiddled with his pen nervously.

“Uh…hi,” Tim said, sounding small and uncertain. Jason just continued to gape at him, causing Tim to fidget even more. “Look, I understand if you’re mad, but…” Tim sighed. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I just didn’t want things to be weird and I just wanted to enjoy a creative writing class for once and not have to worry about the stupid business classes I was taking.” Tim was rambling now and Jason thought it was the cutest thing he’d ever seen. “And you’re really nice and I think you’re really attractive and I didn’t want you to feel weird about me being a published author and umph!”

Jason’s lips were roughly separated from Tim’s as the security guard pulled them apart. Tim flushed, embarrassed at the cheers that rose from the crowd and he had to stop the security guard from escorting Jason out.

“It’s okay. We go to school together,” Tim assured.

“Sorry about that. It’s just I’m not mad and you were getting really flustered and I couldn’t help but think about how cute you looked and I just really wanted to kiss you and yea…um, would you like to go see a movie with me sometime?” Jason asked, shifting from foot to foot.

Tim pulled Jason’s copy of _Soul Cipher_ that was still sitting on the table towards him and signed the title page. He closed the book and slid it back over to Jason, not taking his own hand off it even when Jason moved to pick up the hardback.

Tim smiled up at Jason. “I’d love to go out with you Jason.”

Jason grinned. “Great! I’ll, uh, text you later then, I guess, and let you get back to work,” Jason said, backing up towards the exit.

Tim waved Jason off. “I’ll be waiting to hear from you.”

Jason just waved back and pushed out the door. His heart was racing in his chest and he felt incredibly giddy, but he was going on a date with Tim. Tim was his favorite author. He couldn’t believe this. The two people that he connected so much with were the same person. Jason didn’t think the grin would ever leave his face.

 

~

 

                Jason looked down at Tim fondly. His boyfriend, and god, he was never going to get used to saying that, was tucked into his side and had fallen asleep, laptop still open to the word document containing the book he was currently working on. Jason snaked his arm around Tim and pulled him closer, using his one hand to keep the book in his lap open as he continued to read. _Tattered Triumph_ had finally come in the mail the day before and Jason couldn’t bear to put it down. Each page, each sentence, practically each word, had him falling deeper in love with Tim because Tim had such beautiful thoughts in his mind.

                Jason thought back to the list of quotes that had turned into his list of possible tattoos that he’d compiled at the beginning of the semester before he’d met Tim. He looked down at where Tim was leaning against him, glasses askew and he chuckled. Jason supposed it was probably time to get a new tattoo and he was looking forward to getting Tim’s name put in ink instead of the pseudonym.

**Author's Note:**

> And if you'd like to come and chat over on tumblr: my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated as I really love the feedback! :*
> 
> <3 MOLIM

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [The Marks That Bind Us (Soundtrack)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7761235) by [emojicon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/emojicon/pseuds/emojicon)




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